How to clean pet stains on your carpet

For most animal lovers who are just starting to toilet train their pets, cleaning animal stains from floors, sofas, and carpets is just a burdensome household task to do every so often. Every pet owner knows how difficult it is to remove pet stains and odor from carpets and other items made of fabric material. Sometimes, pet urine, feces, drool, and vomit dry up and are very difficult to remove. Cleaning your carpet by yourself takes too much of your time and energy while hiring a carpet cleaning professional will cost a bit. Fortunately, there is a quick and effective solution to easily remove pet stains and odors from carpets without spending much. In this article we will explain you the best way to rid your carpet of pet stains as well as a couple of easy tips and tricks that you should remember while cleaning your carpet.

How to tame your pet and save on cleaning?

Root out bad habits starting from day #1

You should train your beloved pet to respect and follow the established microclimate of your home, ever since day one. The more responsible you are, the better the chances for your puppy or kitty to understand that carpets are not a litter box.

For puppies – make sure to take it out as often as possible. Young ones can’t hold their bladder any longer than 30 or 60 minutes tops.

For cat lovers – a slight push towards their dedicated sandbox should be enough of a hint. Cat’s have a natural instinct that guides them for sand or soil. In case you cat is silly enough and fails to understand – try giving it an example by digging a small hole with your finger.

Tip: Always send out verbal commands, before and after. It will help your pet learn the rules of your home faster.

Take extra precautions

If you want to protect your carpet from regular professional cleaning – set a clear line between outdoors and your home. The most common solution is to install a tile gateway for pets to shake off dirt, pebbles, leaves and etc. This way you’ll reduce the need of carpet cleaning by a mile.

Another clever solution is to place mini carpets runners, mats or old rugs, wherever you puppy or cat tends to spend time the most.This way you will reduce the exposure to fur, “pee accidents” and other potential risks. Pet mats could help you reduce the burden, so it’s well worth to use such.

Wipe all pals after each and every walk

Older pets will have a hard time to get used with wiping paws, but if your cat or puppy are just a few months old, building this habit will be way easier. Turning this into a ritual after each time it goes out or on a walk, is among the best precautions on your way to avoiding mud stains and cleaner carpets.

Tip:Make sure you have a rag or old towel along with a spray bottle with water in range as soon as you enter your home. As time passes, pets will learn that wiping their paws is a mandatory chore.

Regular grooming is a healthy habit.

The best way to reduce fur and hair from tangling in your carpet’s fibres is to groom or brush your pet at least once per day. To actually implement this rule is easier written than done, but once you build up the routine, your carpets will surely require less time and effort to clean and maintain.

Of course, it is common for people to forget or skip this. In case you’ve done so for a week, use a rubber or latex glove, and fur will simply stick, due to static electricity. If you it needs a bit more effort, you can moisturise a sponge or piece of damp cloth or even use a lint roller. In case you become overwhelmed with time, consider buying a pet hair vacuum cleaner, choose the best odor neutralizer or simply follow a cleaning routine.

How to protect your carpet?

Buy the right type of carpet.

Obviously, this one applies before you’ve bought your carpet, but in case you plan to refurbish, than picking the right type of carpet could save you quite a bit of elbow grease and cleaning.

Twist carpets are superior to loop rugs in terms of maintenance and hygiene. Pets can walk around freely, without you having to worry for nails snagging in, not to mention how easy these are to vacuum and clean in general.

Consider stain resistancy!

Regardless of how many precautions you’ll take, accidents will still happen. That’s why it would make a difference if buy a rug that’s resistant to stains.

Tip:Check if your rug is made out of eco-friendly materials.

Mind the color of your rug

A clever choice would be a carpet which matches the colour of your pet. This way fur balls will be far less visible. Not really much of a solution, but still can save id guest catch you unprepared.

Prepare an emergency carpet cleaning kit

No matter how much precautions and effort you put into protecting your carpets, accidents will always happen. The best way to handle these is being well prepare to quickly deal with the mess.

What should an emergency carpet cleaning kit include?

Baking soda – you may have read about sprinkling baking soda and pouring vinegar on the carpet as an effective method for removing pet stain. While the technique works well in stain removal, it may leave a scent on the carpet which may encourage your pet to urinate or defecate at the same spot. The main reason because it isn’t an effective method is that you simply can’t wash the carpet deep enough to remove the residue.

Pet stain removers, odor neutralizers and cleaning detergents – make sure to always check what labels have to say. You would not want to use a product that is harmful for you pet. “Ammonia is a huge no-no” says Dmitri Kara from Fantastic Cleaners. Its scent slightly resembles that of pet urine, which might fool yours into jealousy and aggressive behaviour. Using ammonia-based cleaning solutions is definitely something you should avoid. They don’t remove the ammonia scent and they can be very dangerous when mixed with bleach. Mixing produces fumes that are very toxic.

A steam cleaner – the perfect solutions for old and greasy stains. Just make sure steam won’t hurt the fabric.

Rags, damp clothes or paper towel – if you have to blot fast, you have to blot fast..

How to handle cleaning?

Before getting a brush and cleaning solutions, try to handle the mess as quickly as possible. Use paper towels or scratch papers to absorb the liquid from the carpet. Surround the mess with paper towels and also put a couple of layers underneath. Avoid using newspapers as the dark colored prints may stain your carpet. If the mess is mostly solid, remove as much mess as you can before cleaning with a brush. Wear gloves and scoop the mess up using a cardboard or an old paint scraper. Make sure to work your way inwards to avoid spreading the mess. Apply pressure on the paper towels to absorb as much liquid as you can. Just dab the towel on the carpet and don’t scrub. Use more paper towels if needed.

Enzymatic Carpet Cleaners

After removing some of the mess, it’s time remove the stains and odor using enzymatic cleaning solutions. Unlike the conventional carpet cleaning formula, enzymatic cleaner break protein chains in animal wastes to the molecular level. It also catalyzes the breakdown of bacteria that may cause odor and contamination. It may take 24 hours or more for the enzymes to completely degrade the particles but the non-toxic property and long-term effectiveness of enzymatic cleaner make it an only safe and reliable way for getting rid of pet stains permanently.

After letting the enzymes do the work, give the carpet a good rinse using a carpet cleaner and let it dry. Spray antibacterial and carpet freshening solutions as desired and your carpet is good as new.